Longmire – Harvest

When a prison road gang discovers part of a dead body Walt (Robert Taylor) and Vic (Katee Sackhoff) head out into the field despite the trouble night’s events and the lasting effects of a grazed bullet wound and concussion. The victim’s widow (Jennifer Parsons) and daughter (Mandy Brown) point the sheriff in the direction at the owner of the land (Larry Clarke) who had been trying to slowly force the family into bankruptcy and when that failed, they believe, he finally took a more permanent approach to the situation.

Weighing the possibility that the family may have killed him for the life insurance, Walt gets new perspective on the case from Bob (John Bishop), who was part of the chain gang that discovered the body. After learning about the farmer’s (Cooper Huckabee) previous suicide attempt Walt pieces together what really happened the night the man died and the role his friend and insurance agent (Michael Rothhaar) played to make good on the man’s final wishes and make sure his family was provided for. While helping out on the case Vic also has to deal with an ultimatum from Sean (Michael Mosley) who, after their recent ordeal in which he got a close look at Vic’s feelings for Walt, forces the deputy to choose between her job and her marriage.

In the episode’s B-story Branch (Bailey Chase) travels to Denver with Cady (Cassidy Freeman) to help her locate Darius who may be the only one to be able to save Henry by proving a link between Miller Beck and the man who hired the addict to kill Walt’s wife. After Branch either sees or hallucinates a disappearing photo on his phone containing David Ridges and becomes impossible to deal with Cady calls Vic to drive her home which forces Vic to finally let Walt know just how far off the reservation Branch has gone with his David Ridges obsession.

Walt’s choice to close the case rather than make the true facts known certainly wasn’t the correct legal action, but given the situation there’s really no other move the sheriff’s conscience would allow. Despite Sean’s ultimatum, Branch’s meltdown in Denver forces Vic to put aside the possibility of quitting her job. With Walt in possession of the full facts of the case (including a delusion Branch attacking Cady in the hospital) Branch’s future with the department would appear to be in serious doubt. Also of interest is the not-so-subtle foreshadowing of the Ferg (Adam Bartley) who is obviously growing frustrated with his limited role which could be expanded if Branch would be shown the door.